Actually, yes...We enjoyed Richard's visit so much that as the day wore on, I started dinner and invited him to join us. He accepted... with great courage and politeness and even ate everything on his plate!!!LOL

We had Italian grilled chicken breasts asperagus and corn on the cob. A rather desultory batch of corn I fear... better stuff will show up later in the summer.. but it didn't kill any of us so that is a high point there...LOL

We thoroughly enjoyed Pirate Kurt's visit and he can come back any time he wants! I do believe he is gonna stop in on his way back home in the western reaches of the US... and he is more than welcome to do so! the people we have met through Nightscrawlers are a fine anc courteous bunch and we love seeing you guys face to face...so if any of you are in the area, give a call and see if we are home and drop in if we aren't off to docs visits! LOL...we're in the phone book!

Paty, you and Dave are class acts. Where are you from originally and where were you raised? You have a homely/good teacher privado between you two. It's very welcoming and I appreciate that in the both of you.

Paty was born & raised in Carrol County, Maryland. I was born in Pendleton, Oregon and my family rambled all over the country thanks to the vagaries of military service, primarily in Wshington State, Illinois, Colorado, and then both of us spent more than 30 years in New York--at first separately, and then together. And Paty has a very generous, outgoing nature which encourages travelers and waifs of all sort.

'I'm in love, I'm in love with Atilla the Hun--
Atilla the Hun, Atilla the Hun.
He may pillage your village and kill everyone
but I still love Atilla the Hun.'
--Atilla's Hunny

I figured as much! We frequently stop or even stay a while in Pendleton when on our many trips to Portland, Salem, or the coast.

Once, while on a similar road trip with my best college buddy, we practically got a brass band welcome when my friend was recognized as the granddaughter of some rodeo star who I guess made bull riding history in Pendleton.

The display of hospitality we received I guess is fairly typical for that part of Oregon. And now I know it's contagious and doesn't seem to wear off!

Meddle not with the heartstrings of fans, for we are powerful and hold your pursestrings.

I did get to visit again! And Paty cooked a turkey dinner. I think if I lived closer I would be a much more frequent visitor, as cooks go she's world's finest.

The puppy dog came with this time so we all got to chat while the dogs woofed and barked at each other. Meanwhile Dave showed me the new art for a future Futurian's book, some of it in it's raw pencil state! As well as a super cool Aliens vs Brood pic that I think would make an excellent one shot crssover between darkhorse and marvel. I mean how cool would that be? We stayed up so late after a turkey dinner this time, that Paty put me up in the art studio. Where Dave had the very Pirate Kurt drawing on his desk that I use as an avatar here! (I got to touch it! WOOT!)

Paty gave me a great breakfast in the morning and me and the puppy were off to Georgia then. (As an odd sidenote there Paty, We stopped and ate the watermelon in Meton Ga, where at a roadside park, we were assailed by Canadian Geese who wanted to share the melon, it was quite cool and though Piper , my dog for those not in the know, didn't like the watermelon, the geese did and she liked chasing them around. So the geese congregated at the border of her leash and shared the fruit while Piper ran around barking. Fun was had by all.)

So if you do ever get to visit Dave and Paty, be warned, Paty's cooking is so good, you may not want to leave!

LOL... you are too generous, darlin'... My grandma taught me to cook down home maryland cooking... it ain't fancy, but it is filling... she used to take in every stray coming down the road, too... so I guess i come by it honestly, as i grew up with her, mom and my brother. Gram would see a hobo coming down the street and say"That man looks like he needs a good meal!" when the hobo would come asking if she needed anything to be done around the place in exchange for a meal, she would set him to mowing the yard or raking or something because, she said, when a man works for his meal it is better for him than if you just give him one. he can have pride in earning his way... then she would feed him well and give him a CARE package for later...cuz she DID care. I swear, I think the hoboes put a "good" sign on our mailbox.. although I never found it... cuz we would get frequent visitors of the travellin' kind...LOL We took in stray dogs and kitties, too... my gram could never see something go hungry! I just grew up in a time when the people coming to your door probably wouldn't kill you, rape you or try to take advantage. The hoboes always offered to do work for their meal and were diligent in doing that work... a whole different breed than you see today. If the work was particularly dirty, my gram would offer the use of the bathroom for a bath to clean up before dinner, too... and a number of guys were grateful for the hot water and a chance at a real bath... we didn't have a shower.. just a huge cast iron tub...LOL...some even refused to come to the table to eat, preferring to sit on the back porch cuz they didn't want to sully her table with their travellin' clothes. These were gentlemen of the road and acted like it. There were times when my gram turned people away... because "they didn't act polite...or right... " to her. But by and large, generosity runs in our family and politeness will get brownie points every time with us old folk...LOL

We thoroughly enjoyed PK's visit and you are welcome any time, dear.HuggiesPaty

Sounds like you had a really great time. I was lucky enough to meet the Cockrums a few times back when they lived in the NY area, and they would do appearances at comic shops in Westchester now & then. That type of setting definitely gave fans such as myself more of an opportunity to chat with them at a more in-depth level than at a crowded convention, and I always found Dave & Paty to be a gracious, intelligent, and humorous pair. And, yeah, they were always patient at answering all the silly questions fans such as myself would be asking them about stuff that happened years back. So I can imagine they must have been great hosts.

Somewhere on this forum is a thread with a couple of shots of my Pekinese, Tootsie, when she was a puppy. We're very fond of Tootsie and our St. Bernard, Thor (who is the sweetest big ol' mutt you ever met--). Unfortunately, Paty has a war of dominance going with Tootsie. Each of them insists on being the Alpha Bitch (and I mean that in a doggy way), and so every time Tootsie comes in the house, she pees on the floor. Since Paty can't see it, and since my balance is tottery, it's a falling hazard to both of us if we should step in it and slip. And Paty's not about to let this feisty little mutt rule the house. So she (Tootsie) spends most of her time chained outside on a run line, with a nice, snug doghouse.

BTW--what Paty said somewhere above about suspecting that the hoboes marked her grandmother's house somehow is true. The 'Brotherhood of the Road' had secret marks to indicate a home where one might find work or a meal or a handout, and also which homes to avoid. It was a whole culture, back in the '30s and '40s, and even into the '50s.

'I'm in love, I'm in love with Atilla the Hun--
Atilla the Hun, Atilla the Hun.
He may pillage your village and kill everyone
but I still love Atilla the Hun.'
--Atilla's Hunny

Yep...there's only one Alpha bitch in this household...and I don't mean in a doggy way,either...LOL...but tha,too...guess who?I have never had an "outside dog" in my life before but Tootsie refuses to be house broken and until she learns not to mark the alpha's den, she is gonna stay outside... well...mostly. In really horrible weather...like today's heat or winter's bad storms, she comes in and is confined to a specific area in the kitchen. At least she is cool in the heat and warm in the cold.. but, unlike thor, she is not free to roam the house and do her "thing" anywhere ... which is what she thinks she is entitled to. It is too dangerous both to me and to Dave. either one of us break bones at this point in our lives, we got major problems! .. and HIM more than me. Because of the meds and his diabetes, his bones are far more fragile than mine are... although osteoporosis is, indeed, settin' in and I have to take calcium suppliments. But still, my bones are fairly sturdy for my advanced age... but Dave's aren't and all he needs to do is break something!sheesh! Tootsie was in this afternoon, as well as Thor... cuz the temps topped a hundred with a heat index of about a hundred five or so...and then a rather violent thunderstorm.. the first in weeks! ...rolled in and neither dog likes thunderstorms. they went back on their run lines when the storms had passed and the evening cooled down. I know tootsie prefers to be outside unless the weather is onerous. thor, on the other hand, minds his manners and prefers to be inside. He is getting up there in dog age, so I indulge him more than the little wretch...whom I don't indulge at all any more if I can help it. I am not horribly mean, however...just judicious about the "pee factor".

I have a dog too. Her name is Flash, and she is four of five years old now. I remember when we were house training her, my mom would take her outside to a designated area in the backyard to do her business. When she "went" out back, she would be awarded with a dog treat, and when she "went" in the house, she would be shown the pee, and given a strict little tap on the snout. Now, she knows to go outside, and whines at the back door to tell us to let her out. Maybe the same would work for Tootsie??

We've housetrained several other dogs that way, but it doesn't seem to work on Tiootsie. She's too damn strong willed. However--when we first got her as a puppy she seemed to already BE housetrained, and we didn't do any training of our own. It was only when she reached adulthood that this battle of the wills began.

'I'm in love, I'm in love with Atilla the Hun--
Atilla the Hun, Atilla the Hun.
He may pillage your village and kill everyone
but I still love Atilla the Hun.'
--Atilla's Hunny